Automatic vending machine



July 27, 1937. SCOTT T AL Y 2,088,038

AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORC L.E. Sc 0ft E.A.S11@Lt]@ y 7, 1937. 1., E. scoTT ET AL AUTOMATICVENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheer 2 IQVENTORS L.E.Sc0itPatented July 27, 1937 Leslie E. Scott and Erne Calif st A. Smith, SanJose,

Application January 10, 1936, Serial No. 58,519

4 Claims.

This invention relates toautomatic coin controlled vending machines, andparticularly to one for dispensing drinks and the like and which are putupin .bottles or other cylindrical containers.

In many respects the present structure is the same as that shown in ourPatent No. 2,058,637,

dated October 2'7, 1936; our objects now being to improve thearrangement for guiding the bottles from the supporting disc to thedelivery receptacle or chute. By reason ofthe improved arrangement thecapacity of the machine is increased, the possibility of lag in the timeof delivery is lessened, the construction is simplified, and the machineis easier to load, since no particular care need be taken in arrangingthe bottles on the supporting disc.

The above and other objects we accomplish by means of such structure andrelative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of thefollowing specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine with the cover partly brokenaway.

Figure 2 isa front elevation of the machine partly in section. I

Figure 3is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken through thedelivery chute of the machine.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross section of the bottle deflector as onthe line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a diagram of the control circuits of the apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the machine comprises a housing I provided with an uppersupply and refrigerating chamber 2 and a lower mechanism compartment 3.The chamber 2 if used for dispensing merchandise which must be kept coldis insulated against heat and cold by suitable insulation 4 and isprovided with a removable insulated top cover '5 having substan tiallythe same area as the chamber itself.

Turnably mounted in the chamber 2 and forming the goods supporting floorthereof is a disc 6, set as close as practical to the bottom wall of thechamber but spaced slightly from the side walls thereof. This discserves as the support for a supply of merchandise to be dispensed, shownin this case as being cylindrical bottles I standing on end. The discmay be flat on top or it may have a slight downward slope from itscenter as shown.

The wall of the chamber 2 while mainly concentric with the disc 6, atthe front of the housing l extends tangential to said disc in thedirection of rotation of the latter for a certain distance as at 8, andthen curves back as at 9 to a junction with the curved or concentricportion of the chamber. This forms a niche or recess v of sufficientdepth to receive a bottle clear of the disc; such bottle as it moves offthe disc being supported on a platform II] or the floor of the recess,which platform is flush with the disc. The chamber wall asa wholetherefore, including the tangential portion, forms a retaining andguiding element for the row of bottles dispensed on the disc adjacentits periphery. Said platform at the back of the recess terminates in acircular opening ll slightly larger than a bottle through which thelatter may drop.

With the rotation of'the disc the bottles I, which may be placed on saiddisc without any particular order or arrangement being necessary, areindividually deflected into the recess and fed to a discharge positionover the opening II, with the aid of a spring deflector bar l2. This barextends outwardly from the center of-the disc to a terminationsubstantially on a, radial line drawn from the center of the disc to theinception of the tangential wall portion 8. Said termination however isspaced from said portion 8 a distance approximately equal to thediameter of the bottle and is formed with a convex curvature in thedirection opposite to the direction of rotation of the disc as plainlyshown in Figure 1.

The bar is anchored at its inner end on a fixed shaft I3 projectingaxially through the disc from below and on which the latter turns. Thebar is shallow in height and is set close to the disc and is preferablyformed with a downward slope on its forward side as shown at I4 inFigure 4. In this manner while the bar normally acts as a deflector forthe bottles, the latter can if crowded too much, move over the bar.

A horizontally deflectable spring strip l5 extends substantiallyparallel to the tangential wall .8 from the opposite or inner side ofthe recess and overhangs the disc; the outer end of this strip beingspaced from said tangential wall a'distance slightly greater than thediameter of a opening II. At the same time the bottles supported on theinner portion of the disc are gradually moved into contact with theleading or forward side of the deflector bar I2 and are shifted alongthe same toward its outer end as the space for such bottles develops bythe discharge of the outermost bottles from the disc. The bottles rotatesomewhat as they are thus moved and their movement toward the peripheryof the disc is aided by the slope of the disc surface. In this manner aminimum of power is necessary to operate the disc to dispense thebottles. The spring bar I2 being capable of deflection in the movementof the disc and bottles, it can yield, avoiding the possibility of apair of bottles becoming wedged in the opening between said bar and theadjacent wall of the chamber 2. Also, due to the lowness of the bar andthe slope of its front wall any bottle may move over the same if crowdedfrom behind and if the bar should be held against deflection by the massof bottles on the opposite side of the bar.

Since the bottle receiving surface of the disc is unobstructedthroughout, the bottles may be placed thereon indiscriminately andwithout any special order being necessary, since with the rotation ofthe disc all the bottles will ultimately be shifted to the forward sideof the deflector bar and will be deflected by the same to a position onthe platform Ill and thence into the outlet or discharge opening II.

As to the order of discharge it makes no difference whether a bottlemoves to a discharge position from in front of the bar I2 or whether abottle from between said bar and the spring I5 moves into a dischargeposition ahead of such other bottle, even though the latter contingencyis not likely on account of the direction of rotation of the disc.

The provision of the yieldable strip I5, which forms a deflecting ordividing element, prevents possible wedging of the bottles in theentrance to the niche, since the bottles coming in contact with the endof the strip I5 will definitely be either deflected away from the nicheor toward the same, depending on the initial point of contact of theouter end of the strip relative to the center of the bottle.

As in the previous device, the opening II is normally closed by a trapdoor I6 disposed immediately thereunder. This trap door is arranged toopen downwardly and the weight of the bottle on said door depresses thesame, and the bottle drops through the door and into a deliverycompartment or vertical outlet chute of which the opening I I forms thetop. The bottom of this compartment is provided with a cushion pad I8 toabsorb the shock of dropping of the bottle while the front of thecompartment is provided with a vertical opening I9. This opening is ofslightly greater width than the bottle but projects upwardly from thepad to a height less than that of said bottle. Thus while the bottle maybe removed through the opening by tilting the lower end of the bottleoutwardly, it cannot well fall out of itself. The height of thecompartment or chute from the pad to the bottom of the chamber 2 (or thelevel of the platform I0) is such that a bottle resting on the pad willhold the trap door open as shown in Figure 3; the door tending to closeupwardly of itself by reason of a suitable spring 20 connected thereto.

The disc 6 is turnable on the fixed axial shaft I3 and the hub 2| ofsaid disc depends into the compartment 3, the disc being supported by asuitable anti-friction bearing 22 about the hub. The hub is operativelyconnected to an electric motor 23 in the compartment 3 by suitablereduction gearing 24. The circuit M to the motor is normally open and isclosed by the insertion of a coin in a coin switch box 25 ofconventional form mounted on the front of the housing I in a convenientposition above the delivery opening I9; The motor circuit M has anormally open relay switch R therein, which relay is connected to anauxiliary circuit A in which a normally open coin controlled switch C,and a normally closed trap door controlled switch D are interposed. Theswitch D is mounted behind the trap door adjacent its hinged end asshown in Figure 3, and is arranged so that it is held closed by the doorwhen the latter is closed, but opens when the door opens. This circuitis identical with that shown and described in our Patent No. 1,857,881,dated May 10, 1932.

When the coin switch is closed by the insertion of a coin in the usualmanner the auxiliary circuit A is closed, energizing the relay andclosing the relay switch R and the motor circuit. The coin switch asusual is closed only momentarily, but the auxiliary circuit stillremains closed as long as the motor circuit is closed and as long as thetrap door switch is closed. This is because another wire W is connectedat one end to the wire of circuit A in which the coin switch C isinterposed, and at the other end to the motor circuit between the motorand the relay switch R. Therefore, when the switch R is closed, a relayholding circuit is closed through the line of the motor circuit in whichswitch R is interposed and including said switch, wire W, the relaycoil, and back to the other line of the motor circuit (or main line)through that portion of circuit A in which switch D is interposed. Whereswitch D is opened, this relay holding circuit is of course broken, andswitch R opens to stop the motor. The motor therefore functions torotate the disc so that the containers may be advanced and fed onto thetrap door as previously described.

As soon as the trap door is lowered by the weight of the bottle thereonthe auxiliary and relay circuit is broken by the opening of switch D.The motor therefore ceases to operate and the motor circuit will not beagain closed, regardless of the re-closing of the switch D by theclosing of the trap door, until the coin controlled switch is againclosed by the insertion of another coin. Only one bottle will thus bedelivered at a time, since it is obvious that the drive of the motorceases the instant a bottle is deposited on the trap door, and beforethe adjacent bottle can possibly be moved to a position over. theopening II.

The trap door is on a level somewhat lower than platform III, so thatthe bottle will be already dropping when it strikes said door, and itsmomentum will aid in opening the door, enabling a heavier door closingspring to be used than would otherwise be practicable.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, whatwe claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A dispensing apparatus including a horizontal disc to support aplurality of individual containers to be dispensed, means to rotate the.

portion to the chute and on which the containers are received as theyfollow the tangential 'portion, and means cooperating with thecontainers on the disc to cause them to be successively shifted 011 thedisc and onto said platform with the rotation of the disc; the containersupporting surface: of the disc having a downward slope outwardly fromits center whereby to aid in the zontal disc to support a plurality ofindividual containers to be dispensed, means to rotate the disc in onedirection; an outlet chute for a single container depending from thelevel of the disc adjacent and to one side of the same, aretainoutermost side of the adjacent end .of' the chute,

a platform level with the disc leading along said tangential portion tothe chute and on which the containers are received as they follow thetangential portion, and a fixed deflecting bar "extendingtransversely ofand above the disc from adjacent the center thereof toward saidtangential portion to a termination substantially on a line drawnradially of the disc from the inception of said tangential portion andspaced therefrom a distance approximately the width of a container.

3; A structure as in claim 2, in which said bar is of resilient materialand is deflectable at its outer end in a horizontal direction.

4. A dispensing apparatus including a horizontal disc to support aplurality of individual containers to be dispensed, means to rotate thedisc in-one direction, a chamber in which the disc is enclosed having awall mainly concentric with the disc but having a niche, the outer wallof which is tangent to said chamber wall and extends therefrom in thedirection of rotation of the disc, a platform at the bottom of the nichelevel with the disc, there being an outlet opening for a container inthe platform at the back of the niche, means cooperating with thecontainers on the disc to cause them to be successively shifted off thedisc and onto and along said platform with the rotation of the disc, afixed defleeting bar extending transversely of and above the disc fromadjacent the center thereof and extending toward the point of inceptionof the tangential side of the recess to a termination spaced fromsaidside a distance approximately the width of a container, and ahorizontally deflectable spring strip extending toward said bar inoverhanging relation to the disc from and secured to the side of therecess opposite and substantially parallel to its tangential side andspaced at its outer end from the outer end of the bar.

LESLIE E. SCO'IT.

ERNEST A. SMITH.

